


the wolf in sheep's clothing

by ohfaiths



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Cult!Staci Pratt, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Lovers To Enemies, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28937394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohfaiths/pseuds/ohfaiths
Summary: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Relationships: Joey Hudson/Staci Pratt
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	the wolf in sheep's clothing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [snapbackbuddies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapbackbuddies/gifts).



> So Trinity mentioned the concept of Staci being a cult so I volunteered and wrote this 🤓 of course with my new favourite rare pare because I love pain. Betad by the lovely racheljessop/adelaidedrubman on tumblr. Thank you, love!

Joey feels like her body is on fire once she comes to. It's dark and cold, and she's trying not to be too noisy because if someone finds her alive and breathing - she's gone. Now, she has a chance for survival, at least a couple of hours until she finds others and they decide what they are going to do next. The lack of knowledge makes Hudson's head spin; she _hopes_ that her friends are alive; she _wants_ to believe that they made it, but the fact that she was left alone after the crash makes her think that in the most dangerous situation, their partnership, as well as friendship, did not matter. Everyone is on their own. Fight, endure, survive.

Joey purses her lips and tries hard not to make a sound and finally gets out from the crashed helicopter; she immediately feels a pain in her right shoulder, but ignores it and limps away from the crash site.

She manages to pick a pocket knife off the ground; not her choice of the weapon but at least something. She hears the dogs barking somewhere behind her back, cursing mentally. Of course, they'd use all their resources to find the deputies and marshal. It's been half an hour since they arrived here and Hudson already lost her partners and got injured, bleeding yet surviving the helicopter crash.

The darkness makes it easier to blend in with the surroundings. Hudson remembers everything she learned in her training, every little detail that would help her to make it out alive. Steal a car and flee for help, get the National Guard before things escalate, before she finds her friends dead. Or worse - brainwashed by the cult. In this case, Hudson thinks that being a peggie is much worse than being dead. She wonders if they have free will; if they can stand up for themselves and not just blindly follow the orders of their leader. 

When Joey starts breathing heavily, she takes a small break and leans on a tree, sliding down on the ground and quietly whimpering from the pain her wound causes. She unbuttons her jacket and winces at her bloodied tank top. Things are bad; if she doesn't find any medication or at least gauze, she may well pass out due to the blood loss. 

"You got this, Hudson," the woman whispers to herself, pressing the wound as hard as she can, trying to resist the urge to scream. She bites her lip hard and it somewhat helps, if only for now.

There's no time for chilling and enjoying the warm night while surrounded by the cultists, Joey thinks and makes herself to get up and move out. 

She manages to meet three peggies on her way through the forest and slit their throats without drawing unnecessary attention, stealing a gun from one of them. Hudson is not sure how much time passes until she finally finds a fucking radio that _actually works_ and she tries to pick up a signal for good ten minutes before giving up and throwing it away in frustration. 

It was a bad idea from the very beginning. When Whitehorse told them about this case, Joey knew that if they ever went to arrest Joseph Seed, they'd get in trouble. Turned out, Hudson was right about all of this, but no one listened to her despite her well structured and logical explanation that they shouldn't go here without any backup. What else did they expect from this? That the Father and his doomsday cult will be gone as soon as the deputies and Sheriff arrest the man? Just thinking about it makes Deputy Hudson's blood boil, and she slams her fist against the tree, eager to let her anger out even though she knows it won't help her.

She almost allows herself to cry when she hears the radio come to life, and Joey hears a familiar voice that immediately puts a smile on her face.

Staci Pratt is alive, and Joey knows the location where she can find him. Together, they could finally decide on their plan, discuss whatever they have gotten themselves into and maybe find others. Just thinking about her partner being alive gives Joey a hope that Marshal, Rook and Whitehorse are somewhere here as well, hopefully, alive and well and most definitely not discovered by the cult.

Hudson gathers the rest of her strength and hopes she'll make it to Pratt's location.

She tries her best not to pass out when she finally reaches the small house that Staci described on the radio, her hand clutching her bleeding shoulder, but she is still on her feet, fighting, proving herself that she is strong and she can do it - _because Joey Hudson is not a quitter._ Even despite her state, Hudson draws her gun up and high, ready to pull the trigger if this was a trap because she's done playing the cult's games. She holds her breath as she opens the creaky door, cringing at the noise, and she almost pulls the trigger when Staci appears in front of her, looking very much battered and bruised but alive.

"Fucking hell, Hudson!? Whoa, whoa, easy!" Staci rushes to catch Joey before she passes out, the gun clattering on the wooden floor with a muffled thump. "Hey, hey, I got ya. Lay down. It's okay, we're just... I'm going to remove your jacket to see the wound, okay?"

Joey tries to keep her eyes open, nodding and watching her partner work on her jacket. She's not sure if it's because of the blood loss or some stupid delirium, but Hudson finds Pratt's hands gentle and warm, tending to her wound carefully yet confidently, without a single word said between them. Joey always thought they worked well together, even after the loss of her partner Staci was the one who supported her. Not blaming deputy Hudson for being a failure of a professional.

"There you go," Staci dares to grin at her and Joey smirks at his cocky demeanour. "You'll recover in no time. Lucky you have me, huh?"

"Oh shut up," Joey shakes her head, laughs quietly. Now is not the time for jokes and light flirting. Hudson clears her throat and sits up with Pratt's help, taking in the surroundings. "How long have you been here?"

"Don't know," Staci sighs and sits next to his partner. "Lost the track of time since we landed here. It's like I was hypnotised or something."

"What about others? Rook? Burke? Earl?"

"I saw the peggies taking all of them, but I don't know where they are," Staci throws his hands in the air and stands up abruptly, pacing back and forth. "You were right, about all of this."

"Of course I was," Joey scoffs and meets Pratt's eyes. "Glad we're on the same wave."

"As if it would be any other way."

And again, Joey's breath hitches from the way Staci looks at her - a soft gaze full of adoration - as if she's a goddess or something else. 

She takes in Staci's appearance in general; split lip and a gash on his forehead, but in general he looks okay - no, _more_ than just _okay_. She finds it suspicious; he was with all of them in the helicopter and it surprises her that he doesn't have broken bones or a limp in his walk.

Joey looks away and clears her throat.

"So um, how did you find this place?"

"Had to run away from the peggies, this was the only house that wasn't stuffed with these fuckers."

"Why didn't you help us?" Joey meets Pratt's stare and slowly gets up from her place on the couch. The man furrows. "You... you just fled."

"We were surrounded by those bastards," Pratt crosses arms on his chest, dragging his feet. "If we flee together, they'd catch us and kill us both. Not a cool concept, huh?"

"Yeah, but you could have at least tried to help us out of that fucking helicopter," Hudson feels annoyance raging inside her, the audacity of Staci making up excuses sounds _so very not Staci Pratt_ Joey knows. 

"Listen, I know what you are trying to say," Pratt dips his head and sighs deeply. "I'm sorry, okay? I... I guess I was just being selfish, but we were running out of time and if I tried to help them - _and you_ \- we'd have already been dead. I don't want that, Joey. I don't want you to die because of me trying to play a hero."

"It's not about playing a hero, Pratt," Hudson takes one step closer to Staci, but he doesn't move. "It's about... partnership. But I still don't understand."

Joey leans on the nearby table, trying to do simple math in her head and failing miserably. She notices Pratt approaching her, and when she looks up, he's standing a little bit too close.

"There is no understanding in survival," his voice is suddenly softer than it used to be and it slightly throws Joey off guard. They have always played this little game of innocent flirting, but Pratt takes it on a completely new level right now. "There are instincts. And we should follow them, listen to them. What are your instincts telling you now, Joey?"

Hudson smirks and tilts her head, trying to read the man. She lifts her hand to tame his wild hair, brushes her fingers along his cut and frowns.

"That you are hiding something from me, Staci Pratt."

The other deputy chuckles and grabs Hudson's hand gently, twining their fingers. Such signs of affection both excite and scare Joey but she follows the instincts Staci was talking about and leans forward, inches from his lips.

"I could never hide something from you, Joey. You know you can trust me."

And that is exactly what scares Joey the most. How much she has faith in her partner, for the things she's ready to do for him, walk through the fire to save him because he would return the favour.

Trust is a fickle term. Trusting too much never did good to anyone and a few minutes later, Joey realizes her mistake, blames Staci Pratt for the sweet talk he gave her and lured her in like a siren.

Hudson feels a pinch in her neck and before she knows it, falls into the darkness, feeling both weightless and heavy at once. She still can feel Pratt's arms around her, and she's conscious enough to feel she's carried elsewhere but unable to open her eyes or mouth to demand answers.

The moment Joey Hudson comes to again, she feels the shiver down her spine and the burning sensation around her wrists. It takes a while for Joey to open her eyes and get used to the dimly lit room. She moves her arms and legs only to realize she's tied to a chair - a very uncomfortable one - and when she blinks away the haze, her blood runs cold.

"You were always a smart one," a familiar voice makes Joey's heart shatter. "And that’s a compliment, by the way. I always admired how _strong_ you are, how _intelligent_ you are. You know, you could be more than just a deputy. You could replace Whitehorse, and the station would only thank you. They would worship you at your feet if you wanted to."

"You fucking son of a bitch," Joey grits through her teeth, the fire in her brown eyes brighter than Staci Pratt has ever seen. He only smirks, but Hudson is not over yet. "I _knew_ you were hiding something. Your story... your story wasn't adding up."

"Rook believed it," Pratt grins and takes a few steps forward to Hudson. She wants to slap him. "Whitehorse did, too. The whole station believed in poor Staci Pratt's story. You did too, in the beginning. No one would suspect a cocky bastard to be a part of the project."

"You are being awfully confident thinking you're on the right side."

"Oh! But... I am. I wish you just listened to him. I wish you listened to... _me_."

"No way in hell I listen to your nonsense," Hudson shakes her head, unable to look away from Staci. "How... how long?"

"Long enough to make sure I survive the collapse," Staci squats down before Hudson and grins. "Long enough to make sure I know everything about the department. About Burke. Rook. Whitehorse. _You_."

"You're going to pay for everything you've done," Hudson leans forward as much as the rope allows her, scowling at her... what? A partner? Friend? Traitor? "You're not going to get me. I'd rather die than join your stupid freakshow of brainwashed idiots."

They stare at each other for a good five minutes before Staci decides he's had enough. His job here is done, the Seeds would be delighted to know that Pratt managed to capture Joey Hudson - she will be useful for them, considering her anger issues and impulsiveness. 

"Enjoy your stay," he hisses out with a scowl on his face as he stands up and nods to the chosen. "Tell John Seed I've got him a present. He's going to love her."

He hears Hudson screaming at him and calling a liar - a _traitor, lying bastard, son of a bitch -_ but the approval of Joseph Seed is much more important.

He's done his part and played his role flawlessly.

Now, they must prepare for the reaping and cull the herd.


End file.
